AFL Autopsy Elimination Final: Loss to the Weagles

[Mr Bultitude]

Too many players ball watch and corral while the opposition hunts and tackles as the default option.

This. Some of our players employ a "reactionary' brand of pressure where they plonk themselves close enough to look like there's effort involved but too far to make any impact when they finally make a decision on what course of action to take. I actually wouldn't mind a little less looking before leaping and a little more hunting the man. Would prefer the odd free given away instead of sitting there, waiting for the opposition to gain possession and then lay a tackle that doesn't stick. Been infuriating to watch all season.

 

[Squeaky]

What year is it again?

 

[Paul_Barnard]

To put it into perspective, Richmond wouldn't beat WC in Perth.
But to lose exactly the way everyone expected us to without giving a yelp is embarrassing.
It was as if the game was played to a script. We kicked it long and high into our forward line for them to intercept and then tried to play our back half slingshot game which was never going to stand up in the pressure of finals.

Furthermore, those who think we'll be back better next year are also delusional.
We have a spine with Hurley and Hooker who are plus 30, TBC who isn't AFL standard and Joey Daniher who is dead.
Our midfield lacks any grunt and our forward line is incapable of placing any pressure on the opposition (Tippa and Raz should watch how Ryan and Rioli went about it tonight)..
Another rebuild coming up..

 

[sregit]

This. Some of our players employ a "reactionary' brand of pressureto look like there's effort involved but too far to make any impact when they finally make a decision on what course of action to take. I actually wouldn't mind a little less looking before leaping and a little more hunting the man. Would prefer the odd free given away instead of sitting there, waiting for the opposition to gain possession and then lay a tackle that doesn't stick. Been infuriating to watch all season.

Very good assessment of the game. I was hoping the bombers could pull off an unlikely victory but too many passengers.

From an outsiders point of view the small Essendon forwards do not work hard enough defensively and let their opponents carry from the half backline unopposed. They never got close enough to pressure the WC ball carrier or lock the ball in. Fantasia and your other small forwards don't work defensively hard enough.
Using Richmond small forwards like Rioli, Castagna etc as an example, they don't have as much talent as the Bombers small forwards but work twice as hard defensively. They impact with defensive pressure. These Essendon small forwards will need to be moved on if this part of their game is not improved.
It's hard watching that sort football and I can understand frustration.

 

[Seb78]

Positives

McGrath (Best overall game he's played)
Francis (Getting better every week)
Ambrose (Underrated)
Saad (Has a crack)

Negatives

Can't stick tackles
No ****** composure when moving ball fwd
Slipping over way too often
Too many passengers
Hurley (underdone, should not have played)

 

[IggypopsTshirt]

I haven’t seen any stats or heard any commentary but from the cheap seats it appeared the game pretty much went to script.
25-60 point loss but never really in it.
It appeared that we tried, but we were simply shut down and outclassed.
Crushed at stoppages/missed tackles/numbers/hunger.
Any kick into our forward half was either putrid or tailor made for the Barass and McGovern set up.
No run and gun from back half.
Poor defensive pressure allowed Eagles to move the ball seamlessly.
The back breaking switch kick in the defensive half that became a turnover reared it’s head quite a few times.

We’re so ****ing mired in mediocrity I actually caught myself standing there clapping the campaigners off the ground tonight, something that’s made my sick in the past when others have done similar. But I don’t see an end to our woes at the moment and I felt for the players wandering off tonight because they now embody our culture of failure, they’ve absorbed it.
I love this club, I pay for 3 memberships a year and almost never sit in my seats and I’ll continue to do so. The success will be worth it when it (if it ever) comes, but for **** sake the EFC leads me to despair sometimes.

See you in 2020

 

[Falcon27]

Positives

McGrath (Best overall game he's played)
Francis (Getting better every week)
Ambrose (Underrated)
Saad (Has a crack)

Negatives

Can't stick tackles
No ****** composure when moving ball fwd
Slipping over way too often
Too many passengers
Hurley (underdone, should not have played)

Was at the game, and the amount of times we slipped over was infuriating. Tackling non existent and WCE just simply monstered us in the midfield.

 

[Call Me Cake]

We won't win a final until we finish top four and get a double chance.

 

[eth-dog]

Disappointing game. Hopefully next year we can recover. Still, after 3-6 I wasn't sure we'd get to this stage.

 

[Andronicus]

I dont think you folk realise just how much this hurts.

Of all teams to lose to......

 

[Towno78]

Played like a side that didn't deserve to play finals which is perfectly apt

 

[eth-dog]

I dont think you folk realise just how much this hurts.

Of all teams to lose to......

But we didn't lose to Hawthorne or Carlton or Collingwood or Richmond?

 

[brain taylor]

Couldn't disagree more with criticism of Heppell's leadership. He's just about the only bloke on the team who puts his body on the line every time and never goes into hiding when the heat is on.
I don't think there's any captain in the competition who could rally the soft campaigners in this side

 

[Andronicus]

But we didn't lose to Hawthorne or Carlton or Collingwood or Richmond?

You will never understand Ethan.

 

[Call Me Cake]

We deserve this. All of you were championing for the resting of players in Round 23 and bringing in 3rd raters because it was "a dead rubber" with the dumb notion that we were gonna play the Pies a 2nd time and that we had nothing to play for, when in actual fact we had to win in order to finish 7th or 6th and avoid playing a 5th placed Top 4 team. Had we not been so damn foolish we would have beaten Collingwood and had a much better chance at getting our first finals win.

Hindsight's a bitch.

 

[Keystone agony]

Agree just watching part replays

Missed tackles I'd love to know that stat compared to eagles

Private school city kids that had their shoes polished by mum and dad is an apt description of this side

I don't think we need a rebuild.

I'd be more than happy to let Fantasia go his defensive efforts are no where. Dylan Shiel and Zac merrett aren't much better.

 

[TheBrightSide]

We Are Essington.

 

[JackDoff]

Very good assessment of the game. I was hoping the bombers could pull off an unlikely victory but too many passengers.

From an outsiders point of view the small Essendon forwards do not work hard enough defensively and let their opponents carry from the half backline unopposed. They never got close enough to pressure the WC ball carrier or lock the ball in. Fantasia and your other small forwards don't work defensively hard enough.
Using Richmond small forwards like Rioli, Castagna etc as an example, they don't have as much talent as the Bombers small forwards but work twice as hard defensively. They impact with defensive pressure. These Essendon small forwards will need to be moved on if this part of their game is not improved.
It's hard watching that sort football and I can understand frustration.

'I was hoping the bombers could pull off an unlikely victory "
I bet you you were, now your worst nightmare is about to be realised. Cant wait to meet your mob in a final.

 

[the PILL]

What really ginds my gears and this has become a pattern now, Hepp will do an interview soon and trot out pretty much a basic synopsis of what went wrong (effort was lacking, not good enough, we let ourselves & the fans down, we're sorry and nothing will change. It's like some sick Essington Groundhog Day.

I'm not picking on Dys in this instance, it just blows my mind that the same mediocre mindset constantly keeps happening and they know about it.

Was so excited in the build up and was ok with not winning based on a good effort but we got beat up again.

McGrath, solid.

Ambrose, actually much more of a standard setter than many rated higher than him.

Saad,

 

[Matthew_Lloyd]

What really ginds my gears and this has become a pattern now, Hepp will do an interview soon and trot out pretty much a basic synopsis of what went wrong (effort was lacking, not good enough, we let ourselves & the fans down, we're sorry and nothing will change. It's like some sick Essington Groundhog Day.

I'm not picking on Dys in this instance, it just blows my mind that the same mediocre mindset constantly keeps happening and they know about it.

I'm almost certain that the above will happen. Nothing will change though because there is no accountability at the club. I'd have thought the ASADA shit would have gotten the entire club to pull it's head in, but it hasn't.

We never hold our senior players to account when they play like dogshit. It's usually someone like Langford who gets dropped when many of his senior teammates play FAR worse. Zach Merrett's performance tonight was absolutely disgraceful. Absolutely ****ing pathetic. The hair-pulling just caps it off.

I really don't like Ross Lyon, but he dumped Nick Dal Santo and Stephen Milne when they put in better performances than Merrett did tonight back in 2007. Last time we did something remotely similar was in early 2000 when Sheedy dropped Caracella after a shit game.

 

[adsla69k]

Essendon players were clearly wearing molded blades and WCE with the traditional stops. More schoolboy stuff.

 

[Lethal]

Can’t help thinking we might have won if Frank Dunnell were playing.

Even at 60 odd he would still put in a better effort than most of our list.

 

[Lethal]

Thank **** this decade is over at least.

 

[The Donners]

Priority for mine is ruck

TBC was embarrassed tonight...not just by nick Nat...by Tom hickey too...who is an absolute plodder

WCE continually got first use and TBC didn’t give a yelp

Too much emphasis on ruckmen, not enough on big body ball hunters.

 

[Runk]

I just woke up. Did we wi.....oh